1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system to support sales at the time when a purchaser buys goods, by providing information on stores dealing in those goods, in particular, a sales supporting system associated with a navigation system and a method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, as a result of enhancement in communication system such as the Internet or i-mode of mobile phones, data communication has become common for wide and general use. As a result, such a conduct has become a broad custom that stores disclose information such as kinds of goods the stores are dealing in and prices for respective goods to users of the stores using data communication so that the user can select stores based on the information that the stores disclosed.
In general, when a purchaser selects a store, he/she selects in consideration of availability of goods and their prices, and in addition thereto, in many cases, selects stores to purchase goods in consideration of troubles for a visit to stores, costs (for example, train fares), etc. In addition, in the case where there is a destination having been set for another purpose, it often occurs that, by standing by at stores on the way to the above-described destination, troubles for a visit to stores and costs (for example train fares, etc.) are limited to a smaller amount. In this case, the purchaser selects the store where he/she purchases goods in consideration of troubles for he/she to stop by at the store, extra costs (for example train fares), etc., that will become necessary in case of stopping-by at the store. An example of a process when a purchaser selects stores where he/she is considering stopping-by on his/her way to a destination having been set for another purpose will be described below with reference to FIG. 2.
In Step 101, the purchaser looks into a position of a store that deals in desired goods and prices for the goods with a communication system such as the Internet or an i-mode in mobile phones, etc., or information magazines being generally on the market in towns. In Step 102, a difference in the time required on a route to head for a destination via the store as well as a difference in costs for movement is estimated. In Step 103, in consideration of the price for the goods investigated in Step 101 and the difference in the time required or the costs having been estimated in Step 102, decision making on whether or not to purchase the goods is executed. In the case where decision making for a purchase is executed in Step 103, he/she visits the store to purchase the goods in Step 104. On the other hand, in the case where decision making not to purchase is executed in Step 103, decision making on whether or not investigation on stores should be continued in Step 105, and if the investigation on the stores should be continued, he/she returns to the process of Step 101. On the other hand, if there is no intention to investigate on stores, purchase of goods is given up and the step comes to an end.
It will be troublesome or trouble a purchaser much for the purchaser to decide on a store to purchase goods through a process as described above. For example, in the procedure of Step 101, the purchaser looks into the position of the store that deals in the desired goods and the prices for the goods with the communication system such as the Internet or the i-mode in mobile phones, etc., or information magazines being generally on the market, but in order to select out necessary information from a variety of pieces of information on a number of stores, searching needs to be repeated a certain number of times and incurs troubles.
In the procedure of Step 102, a difference in the time required on the route to head for the destination via the store as well as a difference in costs for movement is estimated, but in order for the purchaser to execute estimation directly, it is necessary for the purchaser to be familiar with maps and information on transportation systems to a certain extent, and in the case where the purchaser is not an expert on maps and information on transportation systems, it is difficult to execute the above-described estimation. There is also a method of executing estimation with information publicized in road maps and time tables, but it requires extreme troubles.
Moreover, as a means for obtaining information for estimation, there is a method of using a navigation system and the like that has recently been put into practical use. The navigation system is a system to calculate and guide a route or a time required from a certain spot to another spot as well as costs for movement, etc., and for example a car navigation system installed in automobiles and a system for executing route guidance with a mobile phone terminal and the like have become available for practical use. With the navigation system, a route or a time required as well as costs for movements can be calculated comparatively easily. However, in order to calculate an increment of a time required via the store and an increment of the costs required for movements, the purchaser needs to search for at least two or more routes with the navigation system, which is troublesome.
It could come to a purchaser's mind on purchasing of goods while he/she is driving an automobile or walking, but in the case where the purchaser is driving an automobile or in the case where he/she is walking, it is in fact impossible to select stores subject to troublesome operations as described above, and thus the purchaser cannot select a more suitable store with information such as kinds of goods that the store is dealing in and the prices for respective goods.